Fitbit Charge 2 review – CNET

The Good Swappable bands. A multi-line OLED display that can show time and fitness data. Always-on heart rate. A great companion app. Affordable price. Five-day battery life.

The Bad Not water-resistant for swims or showers. Lacks GPS. Phone notifications on the Charge 2 display are limited and hard to read.

The Bottom Line If you don’t need water resistance and GPS, the Fitbit Charge 2 is the best overall fitness tracker you can buy.

Lots of things track steps now. Tons of trackers and watches — and even phones — do a good enough job.

In 2016, you buy a fitness band for its app and software. Fitbit does what it does so well and so simply, and across enough platforms and phones and social networks, that it wins out as a platform of choice.

And the best overall Fitbit hardware you can get right now? That’s the new Charge 2, which costs $150 in the US, £130 in the UK, AU$250 in Australia. (A slightly pricier special edition at $180, £150 or AU$290 with a different band finish.) It’s the follow-up to our previous favorite (an no longer available), the Charge HR. The Charge 2 is a slight redesign, with a few new features. I still don’t think anything else nails the combination of app, feature set and functional, affordable design like it does.

If you’re a dedicated long-distance away-from-your-phone runner, or want to swim, or want a fully-connected smartwatch, go with other choices. But the Charge 2 is a do-everything band for the average person. I’ve worn one for about a month now and it’s won me over. It’s the easy answer to “which fitness tracker should the average person buy?”

Just don’t swim with it.

Compact design, larger display.

Sarah Tew/CNET

It’s a Fitbit Charge HR with extras

As I said, the Charge 2 is a similar band to the Charge HR, replacing that older model in Fitbit’s lineup at the identical price. It still has five-day battery and always-on heart rate tracking, but adds a much larger OLED display that shows all the data I wanted it to in the first place. And its design, while still a bit bulky, is sharper: a steel body, glass-covered screen and swappable leather or rubber bands. It isn’t the most jaw-dropping design of all time, but its watch-style buckle fit me securely (it comes in two sizes).

If you’re looking for a small snug band, this might be too bulky for you. Consider the Fitbit Flex 2, a less expensive no-screen waterproof tracker that lacks heart rate.

Multi-line display, at last.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Bigger screen is better

The Charge 2’s new selection of watch faces and the larger vertical LED display mean I can see time, steps and heart rate all at once.

Its screen is not always on, but a lift-to-look gesture works fine, or you can tap the display, or you can press the side button. That side button shifts between modes on the tracker, while tapping on the display brings up extra data (estimated calorie burn, or pace, or resting heart rate).

Onboard features include a stopwatch, exercise tracking mode, heart rate and a new “Relax” mindfulness app. Notifications pop up in a limited way — texts, calendar appointments and phone calls, which scroll slowly across the bottom of the vertical screen. Not great, and you can’t respond to anything, of course, but it’s better than nothing.

Trying to calm down.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Relax = a little mini-mindfulness, sorta

Fitbit’s one small step into the expanding mindfulness wearable tech world is Relax, which only lives on the Charge 2: much like the Apple Watch‘s Breathe app, it is a focused timed breathing exercise that aims to encourage relaxation. It doesn’t sync back any data to the Fitbit app. It gathers a simulated respiration rate from heart rate data, and encourages timed inhale-exhales over 2 or 5 minutes, showing your heart rate afterwards. That’s it.

OK, it got me to focus. But it’s not anything that a regular meditation exercise couldn’t also do. I don’t use it much, but as a freebie bonus, it’s not bad. I just didn’t know what to do with it, and I wasn’t encouraged by my Fitbit to ever go back and use it on a daily basis.

Fitbit’s new trail-based challenges are kinda fun.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Better software, better features

Fitbit’s own app has gotten pretty comprehensive. It’s great. It’s easy to use, and tracks everything you’d need: standing, stair climbing, weight loss, nutrition, water intake, heart rate, exercise, sleep…and oh yeah, steps. And unlike the Apple Watch — twice as expensive or more — it also tracks stair climbing and sleep.

The easy-glance dashboard design has won me over, and I can pair enough other things into the experience, such as hooking in a Withings scale to sync weigh-ins via the cloud, that I never feel like it lacks anything I need.

I also like Fitbit’s tweaks to its other measurements, especially its reminders to move. Unlike many other bands, Fitbit makes you walk 250 steps to “earn the hour.” It made me want to walk more, instead of just standing.

Erato Apollo 7 review – CNET

The Good The Erato Apollo 7 is a lightweight, totally wireless set of earphones that delivers mostly hiccup-free operation. They sound good, are sweat-resistant (they can be used for running), and a charging case with an integrated battery supplies multiple charges on the go.

The Bad They’re expensive, the battery life is only 3 hours and the firmware isn’t upgradable.

The Bottom Line Although it’s a bit too pricey, the Erato Apollo 7 is one of the first truly wireless headphones that works well and delivers decent sound.

Visit manufacturer site for details.

Erato, a Taiwanese startup, bills its Apollo 7 as the world’s most compact true wireless earphones — that emerging category of Bluetooth headphones with separate left and right standalone earbuds with no connecting cable in between. Apple might dispute that claim now that it’s unveiled its AirPods, but the Apollo 7s certainly are very small, lightweight and among the best of this new breed of headphone.

The key to all these truly wireless earphones is that the wireless Bluetooth connection between both your phone (the audio source) and the two buds needs to be rock solid. Or close to it anyway. And that’s what’s impressive about the Apollo 7s: they worked just like a standard in-ear Bluetooth headphones, with minimal hiccups and dropouts. It’s also worth noting that after I paired them with my phone once, I had no trouble pairing them again.

The earphones in their included charging case.

Sarah Tew/CNET

How it works is that you pair one of the buds (I chose the right one) with your phone or another Bluetooth-enabled device, then you turn the other bud on and it pairs automatically to the first bud to form a stereo connection. If you want to use only one bud as a headset, you can do that.

During the nearly three weeks I used the Apollo 7, operation wasn’t totally flawless. There were a few minor glitches. For instance, the headphone locked up once and wouldn’t produce sound, even though it was paired to the phone. Solution: I powered off my phone, restarted it and the issue resolved itself.

I thought the Apollo 7 sounded quite good for Bluetooth earbuds, with a reasonable amount clarity and decent bass. Included in the box are various silicone and foam tips. Using one of the larger silicone tips I managed to get a secure fit and that tight seal really helps improve sound quality (if you don’t like having eartips jammed in your ears, this isn’t the headphone for you).

Each earbud has a single universal control button.

Sarah Tew/CNET

That said, like a lot of Bluetooth headphones, the Apollo 7’s performance can be somewhat uneven. By that I mean that they sound very good with some tracks and not as great with others.

They’re a touch bright in the treble and a bit forward in the midrange. For instance, with Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie — Live, BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, London 2007” I had to ratchet back the volume because her voice had a little bit of a harsh edge to it at higher volumes. The headphone will also distort with certain tracks at higher volumes, so it’s best to use it at around 60-75 percent volume. (It does play loud enough, however.)

A good wired in-ear headphone, such as the $150 Bose SoundTrue Ultra, which both CNET contributor Steve Guttenberg and I like a lot, easily bests this headphone, with smoother, richer sound. Bose’s SoundSport Wireless also sounds a little better than the Apollo 7 for about half the price. But the SoundTrue is a wired headphone, and the SoundSport is wireless with a wire connecting the left and right earpieces. The Apollo 7, by comparison, has absolutely no wires. Given that stipulation, they they sound relatively impressive, especially compared to the bulk of the current competition. It also helps that that they maintain a good connection.

Comparisons to rival full wireless ‘phones

For comparison in that fully wireless realm, I pitted the Apollo 7 against the Bragi Dash and Earin, the latter of which also lays claim to being the world’s smallest completely wireless earphones.

Of the three, the Apollo 7 had the most reliable connection by a long shot. Although I like the Bragi Dash and Earin — both fit me well — they had frequent hiccups, which made it it difficult to listen to them on the go (I ran with the Dash).

The Earin, which actually weighs less (3.5 grams) than the Apollo 7 (4 grams), is well designed and sounds good but is missing a microphone for making calls (its price has come down to $200 from $280).

Google Pixel Phone Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Google

Every year since 2010, Google has launched a “Nexus” phone into the marketplace — a device made by a third-party manufacturer, with the distinction of being the first one kissed with that year’s version of Google’s Android operating system. Nexus has since become synonymous with higher-end features in a package that’s cheaper than Apple and Samsung’s top phones.

This year, things are probably going to be a little different. Here’s what we know so far, and what’s rumored, about the next Google-branded phone.

There will be two and their names shall be Pixel (maybe)

The word on the web is that Google is doing away with the Nexus brand and plumping for Pixel instead. Why? We don’t know for sure, and it’s only a rumor for now, but Google already has a Pixel C tablet, so the designation at least makes sense. If the rumors are true, we’ll have two phones, the Pixel and Pixel XL. That would work out, too. Last year we saw double Nexus phones as well, the Nexus 6P (made by Huawei) and smaller, lighter-featured Nexus 5X (made by LG).

You could be looking at the Google Pixel and Pixel XL.

Android Police

I don’t have any insider information here, but if I were to guess, I’d say Google might want to start fresh because the Nexus numbering is getting out of hand. Phones named 6P and 5X don’t seem to belong to the same generation (but they did), and with the iPhone 7 phones, four Samsung Galaxy “7” phones and the ZTE Axon 7, another “7” phone would feel played out. There’s also the matter of an existing Nexus 7 and Nexus 9; Google may be running short on names. This would also be a good opportunity to give the phones a new philosophy or price range.

October 4 launch date set

We can’t say for sure that Google will definitely unveil its next phone, but something rectangular is being unmasked on October 4 in San Francisco. Google’s site for the launch, its invitation to journalists, giant billboards and new TV commercials all show a phone-shaped rectangle accompanied by a Google “G” (and various morphing animations from the Google search bar, on the video versions).

We’ll be on the ground covering the event live.

What else do we know about the phones?

Again, we don’t know anything for sure, but we’ve heard plenty of rumors and leaks about phones that may or may not be called the Pixel and Pixel XL. The smaller phone might have a 5-inch screen; the larger one a 5.5-inch display. They could be made by HTC and start at $650 (that converts to about £500 and AU$860), with the Pixel XL costing more. There may also be a financing plan you can buy from Google and an extended warranty, similar to Apple Care.

The back may have an unusual glass panel.

@OnLeaks, Android Authority

The phones could come in three colors, according to Android Police: aluminum, black and bright blue colors. In the US, it’s possible they’ll sell through Google’s Store and Verizon.

The possible specs, pieced together from leaks all over the internet, from Business Insider, Android Authority and Android Police are listed below.

Rumored Google Pixel specs

• 5-inch display with 1,920×1,080-pixel resolution
• 12- or 13-megapixel rear camera
• 8-megapixel front-facing camera
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
• 32GB, 128GB storage options
• 4GB RAM
• 2,770 mAh battery
• Android 7.0 Nougat
• Google Daydream-ready

Rumored Google Pixel XL specs

• 5.5-inch display with 2,560×1,440-pixel resolution
• 12- or 13-megapixel rear camera
• 8-megapixel front-facing camera
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
• 32GB, 128GB storage options
• 4GB RAM
• Android 7.0 Nougat
• Google Daydream-ready

Will we see any other hardware?

Don’t hold your breath for the Project Ara modular phone with swappable parts; that’s stalled so much that Google has finally pulled it off the table, for now.

But here’s what we do expect:

• Google Home: The voice-activated, AI-using challenger to Amazon’s Echo.

• Daydream View VR headset: The hardware that goes with Google’s forthcoming virtual reality platform.

• New Pixel tablet: Last year’s excellent Pixel C is due for an upgrade.

• 4K Chromecast: The next version of Google’s phone-focused media-streaming puck could welcome 4K streaming on board, and be called the Chromecast Plus or Chromecast Ultra, Android Police reports.

More to come

Rumors and leaks will hit a fever pitch as the October 4 event approaches. We’ll update this story with the best nuggets we find, and we’ll be sure to bring you all the goods from Google’s big event.

Frigidaire FGGF3058RF review – CNET

The Good The $1,150 Frigidaire FGGF3058RF gas range includes some extra cook settings and features, such as a pizza button and a heating element built around the oven’s convection fan. It also boils water quicker than comparable gas ranges.

The Bad The gas range slowly broils burgers, and the oven controls are counterintuitive.

The Bottom Line The Frigidaire FGGF3058RF attempts to offer higher-end features to distinguish itself from similarly priced ranges. But when you dig deeper, this range isn’t much different than the competition.

Chris Monroe/CNET

At first glance, it seems like the Frigidaire FGGF3058RF is a feature-rich appliance available for a reasonable price: $1,150. There’s a heating element built around the oven’s convection fan for more even cooking. It has specialty cooking modes, such as convection roast and a simple button that just says “pizza” for your favorite frozen or fresh pie. And there’s a probe that you plug into the oven wall that tracks the internal temperature of dishes you’re cooking, a feature we usually see on more expensive ovens.

But when you dig a little deeper into this oven’s extras and basic functions, you realize that Frigidaire has created an appliance that is on par with other gas ranges in the less-than-$1,200 price range. The oven takes its sweet time broiling burgers, and it doesn’t bake multiple racks of biscuits as evenly you’d hope, especially with that “true convection.” And the pizza button? It works, but it’s so simple that it almost seems like an unnecessary part of the oven.

Overall, the Frigidaire FGGF3058RF is a decent range. It just doesn’t have enough bells, whistles or cooking prowess to make it any more special than other ranges. Consider the $1,000 GE JGB700SEJSS, a cheaper gas range with fewer bonus features, but an equally good performance.

11

Frigidaire goes big in bid to go home with you

Another day, another stainless-steel range

The Frigidaire FGGF3058RF does little to set itself apart aesthetically from other gas, freestanding ranges. Fortunately, this now-standard design is inoffensive and won’t be an eyesore in your kitchen. The Frigidaire is a 30-inch wide freestanding range coated in stainless steel that’s supposed to be resistant to smudges and fingerprints (it was indeed resistant, but not impervious, so keep stainless-steel wipes handy). Continuous cast-iron grates cover the five gas burners on the cooktop. The range comes with the nice addition of an option of a griddle you can swap over the middle, oblong burner for foods like pancakes or grilled cheese.

The touch panel buttons often control more than one cooking option.

Chris Monroe/CNET

The touchpad controls can be difficult to get the hang of because one button can access multiple features. For example, there isn’t a separate button between convection bake and convection roast; you use the same button to access each cooking mode. And if you’re using the temperature probe, you can decide whether you want the oven to continue cooking after your desired temperature has been reached or if you want it to stop. This is a smart option to give users, but it’s hard to remember exactly how to get to that selection. You need to make sure you hold onto this oven’s user manual so you can keep all the controls straight.

Down in the oven, Frigidaire gives you 5 cubic feet of baking space, which is a bit on the small end for a freestanding gas oven. But in practice, there is plenty of room for large baking sheets and roasts. A convection fan is built into the back wall of the oven to improve the circulation of hot air. As I mentioned earlier, there’s a heating element around the convection fan (in addition to traditional heating elements on the top and bottom of the oven) to heat the air while it’s circulating.